Short and Sweet
by S. T. Nickolian
Summary: Sakura is by a river and is met by someone who she didn't expect to see.


Short and Sweet

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Sakura glared at the boys, daring them to follow her just so she could hit them. Naruto had been worried about her going off on her own, but he had also been the one that beat Sai when the artist tried to follow her. Yamato had just shaken his head and told her to hurry.

The kunoichi turned and stalked off into the woods where she remembered seeing a stream not far back. "Idiot males…" The whispered comment reflected her thoughts; she just wanted to wash the blood on her arms from the Oto-nin earlier. She was more than capable of defending herself during such a menial task.

She reached the stream and knelt down by the water. As she set her arm in the cool liquid, her thoughts turned back to the last time she had seen her _other_ boy, Sasuke. Even if he had tried to kill them, she still considered him as one of her boys, along with Naruto, Kakashi, Sai and Yamato, somewhat.

A thin veil of blood flowed down the stream as it washed away. She rubbed her skin and winced when a cut reopened. "Mou… I just got it to stop bleeding, too…"

"Sakura." She whirled around, sending a kunai through the air at the voice. He promptly side-stepped and watched as the blade sunk into the tree behind him. _Not the welcome I was expecting…_

Sakura stared at him for a moment before slipping into an easy fighting stance. "Sasuke…"

The Uchiha turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not here to fight, Sakura." Surprise crossed her face and she could tell that he was resisting the urge to smirk, for which she was thankful; she probably would have hit him if he did.

Cautiously, she rose out of her stance and stared at him again. He hadn't changed much since the last time she saw him, if any at all. His Sharingan was blazing and he held himself with an almost careless manner. "So what are you here for?"

"Can't I visit my teammate?"

The kunoichi gave a laugh. "Sasuke, that wouldn't have worked three years ago, why would it work now?" Mirth danced in her eyes and she shook her head. "Try again, Uchiha."

"Can't I come see you?" She almost gave him the same reaction to his first comment, but she caught the slight difference in his posture; he was serious.

"And why would you want to see me?" He blinked. "What about that girl from Team Hebi?" He scowled immediately and she had to bite back a smirk.

"Karin's only use to me is to find Itachi, other than that, I don't care for her at all." He strode forward until he was by the water as well. "She's more annoying than any fan-girl I had in Konoha.

A pang hit Sakura's chest but she hid it with a grin. "Aw… someone took my place."

He turned to her, shocked. _What's that suppose- oh…_ He had forgotten that he always called her annoying; he had never really meant it. As he tried to think of something to say, his eyes landed on the drops of blood at her feet. His gaze darted to the wound on her arm and his Sharingan widened.

"Baka. I thought you were a medic." She gasped as he took her arm and looked at the cut.

"W-Well… I…" She blushed and glanced away. She had managed to keep her cool until he touched her: it proved that he was real. "Umm… Well… I had to take care of the others!" She winced slightly when he traced a finger across the edge of the wound.

"That doesn't mean you don't take care of yourself." He ripped a piece of his sleeve off and knelt down by the water, pulling her down with her. The youngest Uchiha soaked the cloth and wrapped it around her arm. "Be more careful," he voice was softer and held a little worry in it. "I don't want to lose you before I even get back."

The kunoichi watched his face before smiling slightly. "Alright…"

They sat still for a while before Sakura stood up. She smiled down at the Uchiha's questioning gaze, happy that he was showing more emotion with her. "I have to get back to the others, otherwise they'll come after me." She turned to walk away when Sasuke grabbed her hand.

She turned to find him standing with her, and she just realized how much taller he was; she had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes now. "Sasuke?" The Uchiha cupped her cheek and lowered his face to hers.

The kiss was nothing special, just a short, sweet kiss before he was gone, but it still made Sakura's insides do flips and her heart to soar to the heavens.

She touched her lips in awe as she absently made her way back to the others, aware of the artist that fell into step beside her. Sai remained quiet, a source of comfort and protection while her mind was back at the stream.

"This doesn't change anything, you know." He glanced at her, a signal for her to continue. "We're still going to drag him back." She grinned as she turned to face him, bringing to him to a halt with her. "Even after that kiss, I still don't want to give him the satisfaction of come back on his own."

Sai gave her a small smile of his own and placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her the rest of the way. "Aa. I don't call him 'Traitor' for nothing."

"Though you do call me 'Hag' on a whim."

"A 'whim'? I call you Hag because you are one!"

Their playful banter was spoken with smiled and laughter as they walked back. A small part of Sakura's heart was still back on the kiss, however, and she doubted that it would leave that moment for a long time.

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AN: I like the interaction between Sai and Sakura, but I can't write that pairing for the life of me. TT Thank you all for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!


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